Raw Milk Cheese Entrepreneur – Alan Glustoff

Raw Milk Cheese. Alan Glustoff does not think everything has to be pasteurized. This is not just about cheese, but about following your dreams.

Check out episode 383 of “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” and learn about the story of 5 Spoke Creamery.

Growing up in the Midwest, Alan learned to ride a two wheeler on an uncle’s old balloon tire bike that was way too big for him. He still remembers the people who were there, the surroundings and the smells of Spring in the air. He wasn’t afraid of falling; he was too busy taking it all in. Alan has always considered bicycling thebest way to really see what’s around him and be in the experience, rather than racing through it.

That’s also how he views cheese making – you need to be able to see what’s going on, which means only working with small batches where you can react to what’s happening in front of you.You also need to start with superior quality raw milk from your own grass-fed cows.

At 5 Spoke Creamery, they embrace the attitude that every turn in the road offers interesting possibilities and salute their willingness to approach life as a journey, one turn at a time. Alan calls this the “Art of Possibilities”.

Believing in possibilities was key to allowing the company to follow Alan’s passion to make superior tasting, small batch raw milk cheeses (that happen to be kosher), let alone thinking it possible to buy and restore a 100 year old dairy farm and build a cheese making operation from the ground up.

Finally, the company’s name reflects the belief that like riding a bike, balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle; that it is possible to enjoy fine, artisanal cheeses if it’s balanced with physical activity.

This is a great interview with someone who bought a farm and started a cheese business in the last decade, while most farms are going away. Zig when others Zag.